What if there were a plan to fix the US economy?

Question

Americans, there exists a plan (a bunch of potential federal policies) that would grow the US economy, shrink the debt, and increase employment.  In fact, these policies, together, would make both the rich and the poor get rich faster than they are now.  This would all happen within ten years from the time these federal plans would be passed.  It would strengthen capitalism, too.

What would you be willing to sacrifice now so that in ten years you would be a few percentage points richer than were you not to make the sacrifice?  What would you be willing to sacrifice to lift millions of people out of welfare, and would still make you better off, even if your are middle class or rich?

I am not saying you will have double the money you have now, but in ten years, instead of losing wealth or increasing it at, say 0% to 5%, everybody was getting annually 3% to 7% wealthier.  The haves and have nots getting richer than under current laws.

Some of you already know what I am talking about, and tens of millions of Americans explicitly support enacting this legislation.  In fact, since you end up richer in the end, it's more of an investment than a sacrifice.

How about this:  What percentage of your income would  you invest if it would make you much more likely to be wealthier in the future?  And if, as a bonus, the country gets richer!

Do you want to invest in your country?

You can read about it here, if you want - it's pretty long, but it strongly supports making that small investment is a very low risk proposition.

http://www.epi.org/publication/favor-progressive-taxation-balanced-approach/

The Arbiter of common sense · Accepted Answer

It's somewhat of a meaningless question, because no such plan really exists or certainly no such plan is guaranteed to be effective.  So a person's willingness to 'sacrifice' is going to vary in relation to their belief in the plan's likelihood of success.

Give me a time machine so I can be certain that I would be better off, and I would be willing to sacrifice whatever it took.,  But until that happens, my willingness depends on how much I believe your plan.  Given the polarization of American politics, for most people that is going to depend on who is presenting the plan.

EDIT: see what I mean?  2/3 of the answers above me don't even address the actual idea, they simple take a position based on their political stripe.

wayfaroutthere · Answer

You kinda get blindsided by optimism when you try to work plans like these, but yes, I favor progressive taxation so that the government can invest in things that will help America remain great in the future.  Now (WHAM!) if you are democrat you assume that the economy will just improve and pay for all this from increased tax revenue from everyone making more money, or (WHAM!) if you are a republican you will assume that if you free up a few dollars for everyone and a lot of dollars for the rich through tax cuts, that they will be able to afford to do all this on their own.  Maybe we should make the investment without assuming the returns will roll in before the first shovel hit the ground or the first student entered college.  You see, that's where it all falls apart--this plan promises to reduce the debt, and when you look at how, the how is by making America successful again, and by assuming that taking these steps will do that.  I'm all for trying plans like this, but just assuming that they will work is how we keep overspending.  We need to plan with real accounting, not sci-fi accounting.  (I was about to thumbs down the time machine guy, until I arrived at the opposite side of the same coin, lol.)  Whatever we do to fix the future, we need to pay for it today, not with the money we imagine will be rolling in when we see the results.

Avis Acebedo · Answer

You kinda get blindsided by optimism when you try to work plans like these, but yes, I favor progressive taxation so that the government can invest in things that will help America remain great in the future.

Give me a time machine so I can be certain that I would be better off, and I would be willing to sacrifice whatever it took., But until that happens, my willingness depends on how much I believe your plan. Politics are now more important than fixing problems.

Jeff · Answer

It wouldn't matter what I think, because if a Democrat proposes this, the Republicans will block it, and vice versa.  Also, the wealthy will use their money to stop it.  Politics are now more important than fixing problems.

Ian Dominator · Answer

The plan is a genocidal-like attack on all self-proclaimed feminists, thereby removing the taint from society.

What if there were a plan to fix the US economy?

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